Vijay Singh joins star-studded field for Shaw Charity Classic

Vijay Singh of Fiji hits his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the 2017 U.S. Senior Open Championship at Salem Country Club on July 2, 2017 in Peabody, Massachusetts.Drew Hallowell / Getty

In his first trip to the Shaw Charity Classic, Vijay Singh should have some fans on his side.

That wasn’t the case at the 2004 Canadian Open, where the big-hitter from Fiji spoiled what was supposed to be a victory party for Mike Weir, the beloved lefty from Brights Grove, Ont.

“There were a lot of fans, a lot of Canadian flags,” recalled Shaw Charity Classic executive director Sean Van Kesteren, who was on-hand at Glen Abbey that day as a Golf Canada staffer and was thrilled to announce Tuesday that Singh has booked a tee-time for the Sept. 1-3 senior shootout at Canyon Meadows.

“Everybody was rooting for Mike. It was going to happen. The Drought was going to end.”

It didn’t.

When the RBC Canadian Open returns to Glen Abbey next week, The Drought will once again be a storyline. It’s now been 63 years since Pat Fletcher claimed the crown in 1954, the last Canuck to win our national open.

Weir was oh-so-close in 2004 but struggled with his flat-stick in the final round and couldn’t hold off Singh, who whittled away at a three-stroke deficit, eventually drained a birdie putt on No. 18 to force a playoff and then finished the job with a par on the third hole of sudden-death.

“I think Vijay almost felt bad for winning,” Van Kesteren said. “I remember watching him and it almost looked like he wanted Mike to win it, but he obviously didn’t want to give it to him, either.

“But Mike had his chances. He had the lead and kind of squandered it away, and he had chances in the playoff to win it, too.”

In other words, fans in Calgary shouldn’t hold it against Singh.

The Drought isn’t all his doing.

“I have fond memories of playing in Canada,” Singh said in Tuesday’s news release. “The fans share my passion for the game and have always treated me with great respect. I am excited to have the opportunity to try and win another title in Canada this September.”

The latest announcement adds even more star-power — and another World Golf Hall of Fame inductee — to a superb field for the fifth-anniversary instalment of the Shaw Charity Classic.

Singh triumphed twice at the PGA Championship — in 1998 at Sahalee and in 2004 at Whistling Straits.

In between, he added a Green Jacket to his wardrobe, finishing three shots clear of the field at the 2000 Masters.

All told, Singh racked up 34 tournament titles on the PGA Tour, most of those during Tiger Woods’ heyday. He currently ranks third, behind only Woods and Phil Mickelson, on the all-time money list.

Singh has been the World No. 1. He’s been the Player of the Year on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He won the Fed Ex Cup.

Now 54, he collected his first PGA Tour Champions trophy in April at the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, joining forces with Carlos Franco — the reigning king of Canyon Meadows — to win that two-man team event.

“Carlos talked to me about all of the successes of the Shaw Charity Classic – the golf course, the hospitality, the crowd support and the amount of money that is raised for children’s charity in the area,” Singh said in a statement. “Those are all very important factors for me in choosing where I want to play, so I wanted to make sure I was a part of this year’s event.”

Each of the four past champions — Rocco Mediate, Couples, Jeff Maggert and Franco — will be shooting for another white-hatting, while former Calgary resident Stephen Ames will be aiming for his second victory of the season on the 50-and-over circuit.

With so many big names to choose from, not everybody will be rooting for Singh.

Unlike the 2004 Canadian Open, not everybody will be rooting against him.

“I’m sure he’ll have a lot of support out here,” Van Kesteren said. “It’s just that name, like Freddy. Everybody knows who Vijay is. He’s one of the best players of all-time. As we all know, he’s a Canadian Open champion. He’s won three majors. And he’s still very competitive on the regular tour. He just brings a strong, strong history of incredible golf to Calgary.

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